Houston Zoo now letting endangered animals go free

Published 3:17 pm, Thursday, May 9, 2013

The Attwaterâs prairie chicken is the rarest native Texas bird. It is estimated that less than 100 of these birds are left in the wild.

The Attwaterâs prairie chicken is the rarest native Texas bird. It is estimated that less than 100 of these birds are left in the wild.

Photo: Houston Zoo

Image 2 of 3

Today, less than 100 of these Houston Toads can be found in Bastrop, Austin, and Colorado counties.

Today, less than 100 of these Houston Toads can be found in Bastrop, Austin, and Colorado counties.

Photo: Houston Zoo

Image 3 of 3

Dr. Joe Flanagan, the Houston Zoo's director of Veterinary Services, checks out a sea turtle before its release.The Houston Zoo has treated over 100 sea turtles since 2010 at its vet clinic.

Dr. Joe Flanagan, the Houston Zoo's director of Veterinary Services, checks out a sea turtle before its release.The Houston Zoo has treated over 100 sea turtles since 2010 at its vet clinic.

Photo: Houston Zoo

Houston Zoo now letting endangered animals go free

1 / 3

Back to Gallery

The Houston Zoo is giving a big head start to some endangered animals that are being rehabilitated and released into the wild.

The species include the Attwater's prairie chicken, five species of sea turtles, and the Houston Toad, which disappeared from Houston in the 1960s following extensive drought and urban expansion. Today, less than 100 of the Texas amphibians can be found in Bastrop, Austin, and Colorado counties.

In the coming weeks, zoo officials plan to release a sea turtle that was rescued from a freshwater pond in southwest Houston at the site of an old golf course, zoo spokesman Brian Hill said.

"A neighbor whose home abuts the golf course spotted the turtle in the pond and let us know about it," he said. The endangered turtle has undergone months of rehabilitation, and is now healthy enough to be released back into the wild.

There are 5 species of sea turtles inhabiting the Gulf of Mexico, all of which are considered to be either threatened or endangered. They include the Kemp's ridley, Green, Leatherback, Atlantic hawksbill, and Loggerhead sea turtles. They face a myriad of threats - drowning in shrimp nets, getting caught in hook and line, vehicular traffic, development of beaches, and ocean and light pollution, zoo officials said.

Most Popular

The Houston Zoo has treated over 100 sea turtles since 2010 at its veterinary clinic. The turtles are then brought to the sea turtle barn in Galveston to prepare for reintroduction.

Earlier this month, the zoo released Houston Toad tadpoles in Bastrop State Park in central Texas.

The Houston Toad program was launched in 2007 when the zoo received the only known egg strands laid by the toads for "head starting" - a way to start the toad's life in captivity and release them when they reach a certain maturity.

Now Playing:

Since then, the zoo has built a population of the toads to ensure they won't go extinct. To date, zoo officials have released more than 20,000 toads into the wild, and the zoo continues to monitor their progress.

The zoo's Attwater's prairie chickens are currently in the breeding season. Zoo staff have been collecting the eggs and hatching them in preparation for their release. The last release took place last fall, according to Hill.